Born A Fighter
by xoloveJBox
Summary: "That little girl's going to make it. You wanna know why? Because she's a Stokes, and she was born a fighter." Nick's niece gets into some trouble that she may not be able to get out of.That summary really sucks, and I'm sorry.Please read! Might be OK :
1. Prologue: Used To This

_**A/N: Hey!**_

_**Well, this my first ff for CSI Las Vegas. I have been watching it for a while, but I've only just started watching it all in order from the beginning. :) So far I'm about half way through series one :) **_

_**I have no idea what made me come up with the idea for this story! It just kind of came to me lol... I'm not entirely sure whether to continue with it though :/ If enough people let me know they are interested, I'll definitely carry on! I have a few chapters written already, so I might see what people think after a few chapters :)**_

_**Please please PLEASE read and review to let me know you think! I don't mind criticism (as long as it is constructive and not just for the sake of being mean) and I would rather see a review with things that I need to improve on than no review at all. I strongly believe that since I started posting things on here, all the comments I have received have helped me to become a better writer so...yeah... Please do it!**_

_**Thanks a million!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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_**Prologue.**_  
It was dark in Molly's room. She had drawn the curtains to shield her pounding head from the light that flooded in. She lay on her bed listening to her mother crash around and swear downstairs, each sound like a knife to her brain. Molly had had a bad day, and it had only gotten worse when she'd returned home to discover that her mother had been drinking since mid-afternoon.  
Again.  
Molly considered finding somewhere else to stay for the night, but very few of her friends would agree to put her up anymore because they all hated her mother, and there were no more hotels in Chicago that she hadn't used before. Molly knew that her mother would look for her if she didn't return home, leaving a path of destruction behind her. For anyone else, this would have been a good thing, but not for Molly, who wished she could just disappear. Molly's mother had always told her daughter that she would never get away, that no matter where she went, Molly would be found. The worst part was Molly believed her.  
The only thing that helped Molly through her mother's 'moods' was the knowledge that she wasn't always like that. It was only when she had been drinking. The rest of the time, Molly knew that her mother was one of the nicest people on the planet. The problem was that the alcohol consumption was increasing in both frequency and quantity, and there was nothing Molly could do or say to change it.  
Molly had just been dozing into blissful sleep when she was jerked awake by her mother screaming her name up the stairs.  
"Molly Stokes, get your butt down here right now!"  
Molly sighed and got up, but her head spun and she had to wait a second to steady herself. As she felt her way across the room, Molly left her glasses on the bedside table. They were beyond being helpful anyway. Molly slowly made her way down the stairs, squinting over how much brighter it seemed in the lower half of the house. Molly only had to follow the crashes and bangs to locate her mother in the kitchen, opening cupboards and slamming them closed again, apparently not finding what she was looking for.  
"What's wrong Mom?" Molly whispered, pain rushing through her head.  
"I can't find the tea bags." Her mother spat in response, not even looking at her sixteen year old daughter. Molly knew it was a good sign that her mom was looking for the tea. It meant that she had either had enough alcohol, or she had run out. However, it didn't matter to Molly which one it was. It meant that it wouldn't be long until her mother crashed out on the couch and Molly herself could go to sleep.  
Molly quickly found the box of tea and handed them to her mom. However, Molly's mom simply gave her a dirty look and brought her hand up, giving Molly a hard whack over the back of her head. The action took Molly by surprise, and she winced, holding her head to make sure it didn't split into two.  
"Quit hiding my stuff." The woman muttered darkly. "Did you find a job today?"  
"No, not one that pays better than the one I have." Molly replied quietly, but she immediately wished that she had at least stretched the truth and told her mother that there were some promising chances. Despite her level of education, the only job Molly had managed to find was in a small, oily mechanics that paid peanuts and attracted the wrong kind of people.  
"What the hell use is a college education if you can't even get a job from it? You can't buy squat with what you make." Her mother slurred angrily, pouring the boiling water from the kettle and missing the mug slightly, leaving a steaming puddle on the counter-top.  
Molly had graduated high school at the age of twelve, going onto college until she was sixteen. Now, a few months later when all her friends were preparing to start their junior year, Molly had nothing to do. No one liked the idea of hiring a sixteen year old who was supposed to be at school, no matter how early she had finished. For most of the jobs Molly had been interviewed for, she was either too under experienced or over educated.  
"Well, maybe if you didn't spend it all on booze, we'd have enough to pay the bills." Molly retorted, her hand flying to her mouth and her eyes diverting as soon as the words escaped. She didn't know what was coming over her, answering back like that was stupid and she knew it.  
"What did you say?"  
Molly didn't answer because she didn't know what to say, instead she reached for a cloth to clean up her mother's spillage. As she moved across the kitchen to where her mom stood, her mom threw her a disgusted glance.  
"Are you stupid or something?" she asked in her southern drawl that was prolonged by intoxication. Molly let out a small gasp when her mom suddenly yanked her head backwards by her hair, forcing her eyes to the ceiling. Her mother waited for Molly to look at her feebly before giving a sharp, back handed slap across her cheek, sending Molly off balance and reeling to the floor.  
"I said: are you stupid?" the woman screamed as Molly attempted to pick herself up.  
Molly closed her eyes as the punched and kicks rained down on her like a strong, unexpected shower. She didn't want to see the look on her mother's face again. She wasn't sure she could deal with it again. The insults were bad enough, and there was no way for Molly to block her ears and protect her body, so she settled for hearing the accusations and mockeries.  
But Molly was used to it now. Usually she managed to block it all out. What she wasn't used to, however, was feeling long, slender fingers close around her windpipe. Panic struck her body at that moment, treading unfamiliar territory. Her mother had never gone so far, never been so close to the edge.  
Molly kicked out, gripping at her mom's fingers to try and release them. Her lungs screamed in pain, and she tried to call out, but no sound escaped. Her face began to feel warm, and she clawed desperately at her throat. Her head felt like it was being filled with air, and Molly's fear only increased when the edges of her vision began to fade. Within a second or two, though it felt like hours to Molly, she felt her legs turn limp, and while she tried feverishly to continue, she could no longer control her fingers. Sound rushed in her ears, and the whole world darkened to nothingness, leaving only stillness and silence in its wake.  
Molly's mother watched in horror for a second while her daughter convulsed on the ground at her feet, before falling motionless. She looked down at her fingers, immediately sober. She tried to shake Molly, but got no response. Terrified, she jumped to her feet and ran out the front door, slamming it behind herself, wondering what she had done.


	2. Chapter 1: How's Vegas?

_**A/N: Howdy!**_

_**Well, since I already had it written, I thought I'd post the next chapter today :) This one is a bit longer than the prologue as well. I've finished season 1 now! I'm thinking that this takes place around the end of season but I'm not really sure. At the moment, it doesn't really matter when it's set :) I made a few changes to the summary, hoping to make it a little less poopy, and I'd like to point out that this is the first time I've attempted to give each chapter a title, so I apologize in advance for the crappiness of them 3 **_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, it wouldn't be as good as it is now, so, yeah...**_

_**Remember: Reviews= Happy me! Please! Let me know what you all think!**_

_**Thanks again and again and again and...well, you get the picture :D**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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_**Chapter One.**_  
Molly woke up a few hours later on the kitchen floor, and it took her a few seconds for her to remember what had happened and where she was. The pain in her head had ceased to a dull throbbing that coursed through the rest of her body too. When she tried to sit up, a sharp pain roared across her chest, and she had to push through the agony to get to her feet. It had grown dark outside by now, and Molly wasn't entirely sure how long she had been out. Her mouth felt like a desert, so with trembling fingers that were bloody and bruised, she took a glass and filled it with ice cold water from the tap. The glass was cool and comforting between her fingers, but when she tried to take a sip, she ended up spurting it back out again, coughing and spluttering, unable to swallow it. She could also taste blood in her mouth, and she didn't like it.  
Resigning to clean herself up, Molly grabbed her cell phone and slowly took herself up the stairs. She had to drag herself numbly through the house, because she wasn't entirely sure that her feet would hold her.  
Molly knew that her mother must not be in the house. She knew that the woman was unable to remain quite for more than a few seconds at a time, drunk or not. Molly knew that if her mom was still in the house, she would have heard her. Comforted by her solitude, uncaring about where her mother actually was, Molly locked herself in the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bathtub for a minute to steady her dizzy head, before turning to the sink and rinsing her mouth out a few times, spitting out blood each time. She tried not to care when she looked at herself in the mirror, seeing bruises already forming around her eye and on her cheeks. She didn't want to see the cut on the bridge of her nose that oozed blood, making it run down her cheek like a tear drop. She didn't even dare to lift up her shirt or roll down her pants to inspect the skin underneath them.  
At that moment, Molly didn't want to be alone. She tied back her long hair, wincing as she raised her arms to do so. Usually, in this situation, Molly would have left her hair down to act as a shield from the outside world, but it was dark outside, and she didn't even care anymore. What difference would hiding her bruises make? It would only be a matter of time until her mother gave her new ones anyway.  
The night air was cool and crisp, and Molly walked as briskly as her battered body would allow to get off the street. She wasn't worried about who might be lurking around, or about walking alone in the dark. She just wanted to get away before her mother had chance to return from wherever she had slinked off to.  
Molly knew exactly where she was going. It was the same place she went whenever her mother had given her a particularly rough time, and that night was definitely the worst she could ever remember. Molly could have made the journey to her best friend, Shannon's house blindfolded, and she didn't even have to look when she veered down a pathway towards the apartment building. Shannon was a few years older than Molly, and had her own apartment, so Molly was not worried about having to give any explanations.  
Because of the time, the main doors were locked so Molly had to be buzzed in. She pressed the small button and leaned against the wall to wait for a response. Despite the late hour, Molly knew that Shannon wouldn't be in bed yet, and her assumption was proven correct when only a minute or so later, Molly heard Shannon's voice over the intercom.  
"Hello?" her friend said, though Molly was pretty sure that Shannon knew who it was. Who else would turn up unexpected so late at night?  
"It's Molly. Can I come up?" Even if Molly hadn't identified herself, Shannon would have recognised her friend's slightly southern twang anywhere. It didn't matter than Molly had never lived anywhere in the southern states; Shannon knew that Molly's entire family was from Texas, and the accent had rubbed off on Molly over her lifetime.  
The only response Molly got was the low tone that announced that Shannon had unlocked the door. Molly pushed it open, and she noticed how much harder it seemed than usual. Normally, Molly would have taken the stairs to Shannon's home, but she knew for a fact that she wouldn't have the energy, so she headed straight for the elevator. When she emerged again, Shannon was waiting for her, dressed in a pink fluffy night gown, with her short, choppy blond hair tied back into a stumpy ponytail. Molly shot her friend a feeble, weary smile.  
"Jesus Christ Mol" Shannon sighed after looking at her friend's battered face, and she turned away without another word. Molly followed the girl into the apartment and pushed the door closed with her foot. She went to the living room while Shannon diverted into the bathroom for a cloth.  
"What did you do this time?" Shannon called as she held the cloth under the warm water.  
"I put the tea bags in the wrong place again." Molly replied, sinking slowly into the couch, wincing.  
"That woman's going to kill you one of these days." Remarked Shannon as she entered the room and plonked herself down next to Molly.  
"I know." Molly replied sadly as Shannon took her face and began to wipe her skin. She thought about telling her friend about what her mother had done that night, but she didn't want to give Shannon further ammunition for the future, so she kept it to herself.  
"How long did it last this time?" Shannon asked, though she wasn't completely sure she wanted to know.  
"I wish I could remember." Molly sighed, turning her eyes away, secretly ashamed of what she was admitting to.  
"You passed out again?"  
"You bet."

Shannon mentally cringed at her friend's nonchalance about the situation. She couldn't imagine being beaten unconscious so regularly that she was indifferent to it.  
"You know, your mom wouldn't be able to do so much damage if you took your piercings out." Shannon commented, trying to shave off a layer of the serious air that had fallen over the two of them like a thick, suffocating blanket, changing the subject as she looked at the ring in the side of Molly's lip, the tiny stud in her nose and the bar in her eyebrow.  
"I'm not taking them out just in case Mom's in a bad mood Shannon." Molly retorted simply.  
"I know you're not going to say yes because you never do, but you know the offer is always there for you to move into here, right?" Shannon murmured, keeping her eyes low. She knew that Molly's entire being was becoming increasingly austere, and Shannon wasn't sure she could look at her friend as she declined her offer again.  
"She'd only find me anyway, and I wouldn't do that to you Shan." Molly whispered, knowing that it was true, and hating it.  
"What about your uncle?" Shannon asked, gently cleaning the blood from Molly's nose.  
"Which one?" Molly questioned, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion, but even the smallest actions caused her pain. Although her mother was an only child, her father was one of seven, and five of them were brothers. However, in the years since her father had left the two of them, Molly's mother had slowly cut off any interaction between Molly, and almost all of her other relations.  
"The one in Vegas." Shannon replied, an idea forming in her head that she couldn't quite see herself yet.  
"Nick? What about him?" Molly closed her eyes as the cloth smoothed over the bridge of her nose, picturing the tall, dark haired Texan with smouldering brown eyes that could go from angry to kind and back again in less time that it took to flick on a light switch.  
"He's a cop, right?"  
"No, he's a CSI." The younger girl corrected softly, mentally asking herself where the conversation was going.  
"But he works with cops. Why don't you call him?" As the words escaped from her lips, Shannon couldn't believe that she had not thought of the idea earlier. She almost kicked herself, seeing now how obvious was as a solution.  
"And say what Shan? 'Oh hi Uncle Nick, I just wanted to let you know that Mom's been beating the crap out me. How's Vegas?'" Molly exclaimed, not quite sharing her friend's enthusiasm for the suggestion, mostly because she had picked up her phone to have that exact conversation so many times, but had backed out at the last second, too worried about what the results might be.  
"Pretty much, yeah." Shannon answered, snapping as she was getting angrier.  
"Shannon come on. I don't want to talk about this." Molly said, turning away embarrassingly.  
"I know you don't, but I don't want to be talking to the police during your murder investigation either." Shannon barked, making Molly cringe with severity of her harsh tone.  
"Can I stay here tonight?" Molly whispered feebly, and Shannon immediately felt guilty for being so sharp.  
"You know you can," she replied softly "I'll go get you something to change into and some blankets."  
Shannon left to dig around in her closet for something for Molly to wear and an old quilt and pillow. However, by the time she returned with them bundled in her arms, Molly was snoring slightly on the couch. Shannon dumped the covers on the floor, and began to tease off Molly's shoes, letting them land at the end of the couch. As Molly moved slightly in her slumber, Shannon spotted Molly's cell phone dangling out of her jeans. Shannon bit her lip as an idea formed in her head, and she slowly pulled the device out. Shannon placed the small device on the coffee table in the middle of the room while she covered Molly with the blanket, trying to slip the pillow under her friend's head without waking her. When she had finished and turned back to the phone, snatching it hurriedly into her hand, Shannon tried not to think too much about what she was doing, because she knew that if she did, she would back out. She scrolled through her younger friends contact list, found the entry that said 'Uncle Nick' and punched the number into her landline phone, listening to the dialling tone.  
It couldn't hurt, right?


	3. Chapter 2: Uneasy Sleep

_**A/N: Howdy!**_

_**First of all, I'd like to say a big thank you to MG12CSI16 for being the first reviewer :)**_

_**Disclaimer: Yeah, as much as it saddens me, I still don't own CSI.**_

_**So here's the next chapter! Let me know what you think R+R!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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_**Chapter Two.**_  
Nick Stokes hummed happily to himself as he changed in the locker room, getting ready to go home. He was looking forward to slumping on the couch for a while, enjoying a bear and maybe a movie. As he mentally scanned through his DVD collection, Nick was surprised when his phone began to vibrate and dance around just inside his locker. He grabbed it and looked at the screen, furrowing his brow when he didn't recognise the number. He shrugged slightly and answered it anyway.  
"Hello?" he answered, hoping that whatever it was; it was quick so he could hurry up and get home.  
"Mr Stokes?" Nick was even more confused when a young, female voice answered him, and it wasn't one that he remembered hearing before.  
"Who's asking?" he replied, trying not to sound rude, but not too friendly either. At the end of the day, he didn't know who the girl was or how she had gained his telephone number, so he wasn't taking any chances.  
"My name's Shannon Rhodes. I'm a friend of your niece, Molly." The girl explained in hushed tones, not wanting to wake her sleeping friend in the next room, and Nick was immediately intrigued by the mention of Molly's name.  
"Molly? What's going on? Is she ok?" he asked, slightly hurried as a million and one questions popped into his head at that moment, and he had to fight to keep them all from coming out at one.  
"Actually Mr Stokes, that's what I called to tell you about..."

When Nick slammed down his phone a little while later, he was fuming. He couldn't recall ever being so angry in his entire life. At some point during the conversation, Nick had had to sit down, because he just couldn't believe what the girl was telling him. He flicked through all the times he had spoken to Molly in the last few months, and he couldn't pick out anything that might have suggested to him that something was wrong. Why didn't Molly say anything? For a second, Nick wondered if it was some kind of hoax, but he knew straight away that it was. During her explanation, Shannon had burst into tears describing the injuries she's seen on her friend. Nick knew that the call was genuine, because no one could be that sincere.  
Nick was most angry at Molly's mother, for hurting her daughter in the first place, but after her, Nick was furious with his older brother, John, who was Molly's father. John had been young when Molly was born, barely twenty-one, and hadn't known how to deal with a baby daughter. It didn't help that he couldn't stand the mother of his child, and didn't know why he had been with her in the first place. John had left Chicago, where he had moved to be with his then pregnant girlfriend, and returned to their home town in Texas. Molly's mom had been from Texas too, but when she had been offered a job in Chicago, she couldn't afford to turn it down. John saw Molly two or three times a year, but Nick made a huge effort to speak to his niece two or three times a week.  
He cursed himself again and again, wondering how he could have missed the signs that his niece was being abused so badly.  
Knowing that he needed to do something constructive before he drove himself insane, Nick slammed his locker shut, punched the metal door and stormed off towards Grissom's office. He nearly pushed over several people as he made his way through the corridors, but the veil of red clouded his judgement and prevented him from apologising. When Nick reached his bosses office, he rapped his knuckles sharply on the door, but didn't wait for a response before going inside.  
Usually Nick would have taken time to look at the jars of insects and creatures that decorated the shelves of Grissom's office, but he didn't this time. He went straight over to Grissom's desk, but grew a little irritated when the older man didn't respond to him straight away. He had to remind himself that Grissom had no idea what Nick had just heard from Shannon. He had no idea what had been going on in Chicago.  
"Nick, what can I do for you?" Grissom finally asked, dragging his eyes from the report in front of him to face his agent.  
"I need to book a few days vacation." Nick said simply, desperately trying to keep his voice level and calm.  
"Alright." Grissom replied "When do you want it?"  
"Right now if possible." Nick replied quickly, mentally crossing all his fingers and toes.  
"Right now as in...?" Grissom continued, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging dully in the air between them.  
"As in tonight. I need to pick something up from Chicago." Nick tried to keep his voice calm and collected, despite his growing irritation levels.  
Nick wasn't entirely sure what made him keep his real intention to himself. All he knew was that he wasn't completely certain that he wanted everyone to know about what had been happening to his own niece.  
"Chicago?" Grissom asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

Nick simply nodded, keeping his annoyance in check. Did anyone else have to go through what felt like ten rounds of irritation before getting time off?  
"I don't know Nicky," Grissom replied with a conflicted tone. "It's a little short notice."  
"I know but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." Nick was almost pleading now, images of Molly flitting through his mind.  
Grissom looked at him intently for a minute, searching for a reason to say no. Not finding one, he nodded.  
"How long do you need?" he finally answered, searching the other man's face for signs of hidden troubles that Nick may need help with. However, whatever it was that was clearly bothering Nicky, he was keeping it well concealed; so much so that Grissom almost thought that he was just being paranoid or over protective.  
Nick breathed a sigh of relief.  
"I'm not even sure. It might take a day, it might take longer." He replied, feeling his mood beginning to even out, and his feelings of irk dying down slightly.  
"Well, I'll book you four to start with, and if you need longer, give me a call."  
"Thanks Grissom, I really owe you one." Nick answered, trying to smile and seem like it was no real big deal.  
"Have you got your plane tickets?" Grissom asked, turning to the computer.  
"No, I'm going to go home and book it now."  
"Do it here," Grissom offered "The sooner you get the tickets, the sooner you get to Chicago."  
Nick had to remind himself that Grissom didn't know. He almost smiled about how well the man in front of him knew him, although he did suspect that part of the reasoning behind the offering was the older man trying to wheedle information out of him before he left. If he wasn't so sure that his niece would kill him for discussing it with someone she didn't know, Nick might have told Grissom all about what had been happening, because he valued Grissom's opinion and, honestly, Nick had no clue what he was going to do about any of it.  
Two hours later, Nick was sat in Grissom's car, heading towards the airport. He wasn't looking forward to the three and a half journey, but Shannon hadn't given him many details about Molly, and she was all he could think about.  
They screeched into the parking lot, and it was probably a good job that there were not many people around.  
"I'll see you when you get back!" Grissom called as Nick ran from the car to the building, throwing a wave over his shoulder. He didn't have long until he would miss his flight, and he couldn't afford to do that.  
Nick just about made it, arriving at the gate only moments before it was closed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Nick boarded the plane and found his seat. He quickly turned off his cell phone to save the battery. He had promised Molly's friend that he would call her as soon as he arrived, but it would only be, taking into account the time difference, around three in the morning. Nick planned to book into a hotel and sleep for a few hours before going to get Molly. He intended to sleep on the plane, but his thoughts distracted him, all the worst situations imaginable coursing through his mind.  
The flight dragged by, and Nick was grateful to regain feeling in his legs when he exited the plane. He hadn't packed a lot, throwing in a few pairs of jeans, underwear and a few t-shirts into a duffel bag that had been small enough to class as hand luggage. Not needing to wait for his bags, Nick went straight out the door and hailed himself a cab. The roads were quiet, and it only took a few minutes to arrive at the nearest hotel. He booked a room and went up, dumping his bag on the bed and picking up the phone. He dialled Shannon's number, who had assured him that she would pick up no matter what time he called. Nick listened to the dialling tone for a minute. He was about to hang up, thinking that the girl was sleeping, but he then heard a groggy voice that was thick with sleep.

"Hello?" the girl mumbled through the phone.

"Shannon? It's Nick Stokes." He replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You're here already?" Shannon exclaimed, clearly surprised.

"It was either now or in two days time, and I wasn't going to wait that long." Nick explained seriously "Do you want me to come now?"

"Well, Molly's asleep on my couch, so we might as well wait until the morning." The girl yawned sleepily. It had taken her a while to fall asleep, thinking about all that had happened, and everything that was still to come.

"Alright. Any particular time?" Nick questioned, his voice quiet as tiredness and anxiousness began to catch up with him suddenly.

"Molly usually gets up kinda early. She has some sort of schedule when she comes here because of her mom, and it's never changed in all the time that I've know her."

"How long is that?"Nick asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Shannon had already told him that Molly's ill treatment had been going on at least since Shannon had first met her.

"Since Molly was twelve." Shannon replied, and Nick winced at the thought. He had spoken to her countless times in the four years. He had seen her many times too.

How could he have not known what was going on?

"Is around eight ok?" Shannon asked softly, breaking through Nick's guilt-laden thought process.

"That's perfect," Nick replied, looking at the clock. That left him five and half hours to sleep. He asked Shannon the address and quickly scribbled it down.

"It's probably a good job you're coming so early. She's already going to kick my ass for calling you, so if we catch her by surprise, she may not murder me so brutally." Shannon joked weakly as they said their goodbyes. Nick bade her goodnight and hung up the phone. Then, fully dressed, Nick lay down and fell into an uneasy sleep.


	4. Chapter 3: HappyGoLucky Past

_**A/N: Hey! How's things? :)**_

_**Ok, so I only have another four days until the end of exams (YAY!) but for the first time, I've actually managed to write a few chapters ahead, so after exams I'll be able to update a bit more regularly :) **__**This chapter's a little bit shorter than some of the others, but hopefully it's not worse for it. I know that it may be a bit slow for a little while, but I promise it will pick up a bit soon lol ;)**__**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. End of. Finished. Never going to change.**_ _**Let me know what you think! Suggestions/ideas/whatever else you may have, drop me a review or a PM :)**_

_**Love lots!**__**xoloveJBox**_

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_**Chapter Three.**_

Nick woke up a few hours later, still tired and grumpy, but now he had a definite goal to work to. He had a fleeting shower and jumped in a cab. If he had known how close the hotel was to Shannon's apartment building he would have walked, because he arrived in just under ten minutes. He let himself into the building and located the right floor, knocking on the door when he reached the apartment Shannon had instructed him to. While he waited, Nick looked around, seeing the stained, paint-chipped walls, and the dirty concrete floor. He saw hooks in the walls where he guessed pictures had once hung to brighten the place up, but they were gone now, and the wall around the fixing was crumbling. Nick crinkled his nose slightly at an unidentifiable mixture of smells that he would rather not know what made it up.

Under the door, Nick saw the shadows of feet, and the door opened a sliver. It was held closed on a chain, and through the gap, Nick could see a figure looking at him.

"Hello?" the figure asked cautiously. Nick could tell that it was a girl, and he was pretty sure that it was Shannon.

"Miss Rhodes, its Nick Stokes." He replied quietly. He suspected that there was a reason she wanted to catch Molly by surprise, so he didn't want to jeopardise that. The door closed again, and Nick heard the chain slide across and dangle against the door before it opened again.

Shannon's age was the first thing Nick noticed. Shannon looked to be about twenty two or twenty three. She was average height with broad shoulders. Her hair was blonde and heavily layered, sticking up all over her head. Her eyes were light hazel, and they seemed almost relieved to see him there.

"I'm really glad you're here Mr Stokes." She breathed, moving over and motioning him inside.

"Please, call me Nick." He replied "Where is she?"

"In the kitchen." Shannon led him down a hallway into the main living area, walking past a bedroom and bathroom.

"Molly," Shannon called softly "There's someone here for you."

Nick watched as his niece popped her head around the door, and he saw her eyes widen slightly when she saw him.

"Uncle Nick? What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice a hoarse croak that he wouldn't have recognised if she wasn't standing in front of him.

Nick tried to speak, but no sounds escaped. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. Pretty much the whole of Molly's face was a violent purple- almost black. Her lip was swollen, and there was a gash on her nose between her eyes. The clothes she wore were too big- presumably Shannon's- and they hung loosely from her slender form.

"Molly," he whispered sadly.

Molly was certain that what she heard in her Uncle's voice was disappointment, and she looked down to the floor. Overwhelmed with sadness all of a sudden, she burst into tears, and a second later, she felt her Uncle's strong arms around her. His grip hurt, as he was completely unaware of what Molly suspected were cracked ribs, but she didn't mind. She felt safe with Nick and as she cried, she tried to ignore all the hurt she felt. As she sobbed into his chest, whimpering out little apologies, he cooed soft assurances into the top of her head, sealing them with kisses.

When Molly couldn't cry anymore, she simply stood shaking, as close to Nick as she could get, and he led her over to the couch. Shannon remained in the doorway, completely silent, not exactly knowing what to do. When Molly lowered herself painfully onto the couch, she looked down and murmured into her chest.

"It was my fault." The sound was so quiet, Nick almost missed it.

"What was?" he asked, confused.

"I put the teabags in the wrong place, and I answered back. It was my fault." She explained.

"What? I-" Shannon exclaimed angrily, making them both jump, before Nick had chance to reply. Shannon looked like she was about to say something else, but she bit her tongue and stormed to the front door, slamming it behind herself.

"Molly Jayne, you listen to me," Nick said sternly, struggling to hold back his own reaction. "What your mother did was wrong. She shouldn't have done it, and it most definitely is not your fault. Do you understand me?"

When Molly didn't answer, he repeated "Do you understand me?"

Finally, Molly nodded, but Nick wasn't too convinced. However, he wasn't expecting miracles. He knew that, if Molly had been punished like that for at least four hours, maybe longer, it was going to take more than a firm word from him to change that.

"I'm going to ask you some questions now." he said "Do you promise to tell me the truth, no matter what the answer is?"  
Molly nodded straight away. There was no question about it: she would never lie to her Uncle Nicky.

"Does your mother do this a lot?"

Molly nodded slowly, feeling uneasy.

"How often?"

"Two or three times a week. At least." Molly whispered.

"Has it ever been as bad as this before?" Nick asked, though he knew the answer.

"No."

Molly had promised to tell the truth, but she couldn't look at Nick while she did it. She was too ashamed by her answers.

"Molly, why didn't you tell anyone?" Nick asked, desperately trying to understand his niece's thought processes.

"You're the only one Mom lets me talk to." Molly replied.

"I talk to you so many times a week. Why didn't you tell _me_?"

"I was scared Uncle Nicky," Molly whimpered, her eyes welling up again. "I didn't know what to do."

Listening to Molly attempt to hold herself together, Nick was pretty sure he could hear his heart shattering into tiny pieces.

As he looked at his young niece, seeing her battered, tear streaked face and hunched over form, he couldn't help but picture the happy-go-lucky little six year old she had once been. It seemed like an entire lifetime ago, and if he hadn't known better, Nick would never have said that the two girls were the same. This older, exceedingly unhappy child had taken over the little girl he had known; the one who would have grown up to be the extremely intelligent woman who would have done anything with her life. Nick knew that, even if it was the last thing he did, he was going to find her again and put her back on the track she had always been intended for.


	5. Chapter 4: Temporary Push Over

_**A/N: Hello folkes!**_

_**Ok, well, exams are officially over YAY *gets up and does a happy dance around the room* so that means I have a LOT more time to write! In celebration, I'm posting the next chapter lol ;) **_

_**Disclaimer: Do daydream fantasies count? Because if they do, then I own CSI. Wait, they don't? Oh, well then; I don't own csi after all. **_

_**Well, I think it's about time I answered some reviews haha:**_

**_MG12CSI16: First review! Much MUCH love! If I could send you cookies right now, I would 3 I hope I don't disappoint lol_**

_**stlouiegal:Thank you ^-^ I hope you continue to enjoy ;)**_

_**eclaregurl: Thank you very much :)**_

_**si-te-hace-feliz: Thank a lot! I hope it's not TOO sad :) Thank you as well for your advice. I reread the chapters, and in hindsight,I agreed with you very much. I made some changes to the existing chapters, and will definitely be mindful when I write the following ones :) And thank you for your good luck message. It made me happy lol I had my last one yesterday, so now I can breathe again hehe Good luck for the rest of your 3**_

_**Alright, I'm going to shut up now lol**_

_**Reviews are welcome, in fact; they are encouraged! Please let me know what you think :)**_

_**Mwah**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

* * *

_**Chapter Four.**_  
Shannon returned a little while later with a box of painkillers. She was no longer angry at the response Molly had given, but she still didn't say anything. She regretted not doing something to help her friend sooner, instead of letting the situation from getting out of hand. Shannon could still remember the first time she had met Molly, on her first day of college. She had walked into her first biology lesson of the semester and sat down. A few minutes later, a little girl wondered in, and Shannon had initially thought that the child was lost. She knew that not all schools had started back from the summer yet, so Shannon had thought that Molly was a professor's kid who'd wondered off. When Shannon had approached Molly to help her find her way again, it hadn't taken her long to discover the extreme intelligence in the child in front of her, despite being so young, and they'd begun talking. The two girls had hit it off very quickly, and had been friends ever since, the six year age difference never becoming a factor between them. Shannon couldn't stand to see her friend in so much pain from the hands of her own mother, someone who was supposed to love and take care of you.  
Molly smiled weakly when Shannon held up the box of aspirin, and although she didn't like feeling so useless and vulnerable, Molly let Nick help her up from the couch, because she didn't really have much other choice. She hobbled over the kitchen, where Shannon had got her a glass of water, and attempted to take the tablets in hopes of relieving at least some of the pain she felt. However, much like the instance the day before when she'd tried to drink, Molly ended up disgorging the liquid out into the sink again, coughing uncontrollably. Almost immediately, Nick and Shannon were at her side, quizzical expressions on their faces.  
"I'm sorry Shannon, I'll clean it up." Molly croaked, wiping her face with the back of her hand.  
"Don't you worry about that," Shannon dismissed quickly, turning to Nick "Why can't she swallow anything?"

"Err, hello? I'm right here?" Molly grunted mulishly, but her protests were ignored by her friend and her uncle.  
Nick thought for a minute, almost discarding the idea in his mind. However, he couldn't ignore the signs, but he needed a little more confirmation.  
"Molly, do you have a headache?" he asked, hoping that he was wrong.  
"A little," Molly whispered, not exactly sure where her uncle was going with his questions.  
"Stand up and look at me." Nick requested gently. He could see the confused look on Shannon's face, but Molly knew exactly what was going on. She had known all along that she wouldn't be able to keep the added extra of her mother's reaction to herself for long. She knew that she would be found out eventually, or she would end up telling someone because, even just a few hours later, Molly felt like it was eating away at her, and she couldn't imagine going another few hours, never mind days or weeks, without it spilling from her mouth. She had thought, however, that she would manage to hide it for a little while longer.  
Nick leaned in close to Molly's face, and she pulled back a little instinctively, but she stood still while he inspected her eyes, seeing that they were red and bloodshot. He noticed Molly unconsciously tug at the edge of the t-shirt around her neck, pulling it up closer to her chin. He slowly reached up his own hand and moved hers so that he could see, and Shannon gasped loudly at the finger shaped bruises and marks there.  
"Molly, did your mom do that to you?" Shannon asked disgustedly, thought she knew the answer. She couldn't think of anyone else likely to inflict such cruelty on Molly. Nick looked directly into his niece's eyes, and Molly tried to hold his gaze, but she couldn't do it and stared at the floor. Nick couldn't hold his rage anymore.  
"Do you even realise how serious this is?" he yelled, making the young girl flinch. However, he didn't really notice her reaction and he stormed around, mentally cursing.  
"Put your shoes on," he finally demanded, anger coursing through his veins like blood, feeling like without it, he wouldn't be able to function right.  
"W...where are we going?" Molly stammered nervously, secretly horrified because she knew exactly what he uncle was thinking, though she silently prayed that it wasn't true, needing him to confirm the terrifying idea to believe that it could be happening.  
"To see your mom! I want to know exactly what the hell has been going on!" Nick replied angrily, throwing his hands up in wild fury, pointing to an invisible, perpetual foe.  
Molly's face visibly drained of colour, and while she hadn't fully stopped trembling since she had arrived at Shannon's the night before, the thought of returning home made her head reel.  
"Please Uncle Nicky," she pleaded piteously. "I can't go back there."  
"Don't worry Molls," Shannon cooed softly "I'm coming too, and your mom might not even be there."  
Nick felt bad about the way Molly had reacted, but he couldn't stop himself from stomping around the living room, fuming. For a minute, they were all silent, and Shannon frowned in thought.  
"So when you passed out, it was because of that?" she asked, on the verge of tears over the realisation.  
"You passed out?" Nick exclaimed, horrified. He couldn't believe that he had underestimated the situation so drastically. "For how long?"  
"I don't know exactly. A few hours maybe." Molly shrugged, trying to downplay the situation in hopes that her Uncle would relent.  
"A few hours! Jeez Molly, you have to go to the hospital!" Shannon protested heartily, suddenly overwhelmed with such an intense mixture of emotions, and a torrent of thoughts whirling through her head, that she wasn't exactly sure what she felt.  
"No. That's not happening." Molly replied firmly. She couldn't think of anywhere on the planet she would rather be. Over the years, Molly had let Shannon take her to hospitals all over Chicago, but they never went to the same one twice. Molly knew what would happen if she turned up with her kind of injuries too often, and her mother would definitely not be happy about that.  
"You didn't tell me about this," Shannon commented, trying to understand everything.  
"What good would it have done Shannon? Telling you wouldn't have changed the fact that I thought my mother was going to kill me!" Molly snapped, raising her voice as much as her bruised throat would allow. Molly didn't normally lose her temper, but at the same time, she was never a doormat unless her mother was around. Any other time, Molly did not let anyone push her around, and that included her best friend and her uncle, and they both knew it.  
"Shannon, do you have a number for a taxi service anywhere around here?" Nick asked quietly, his voice shaking slightly.  
"No, but I'll drive."


	6. Chapter 5: Stubborn Stokes

_**A/N: Howdy folkes! I know its been a few days, and I have no excuses, but I do intend to get another chapter written over the weekend to keep myself ahead. Its been really hectic the last few days because I'm going to a concert on saturday (which I'm totally excited for ^-^) and I've been trying to sort things out for that.**_

_**But anyway, no one's interested in that...**_

_**Marymel: Thank you so much :)**_

_**si-te-hace-feliz: Thank you! I'm glad that you could see the difference, and I really appreciated the advice :) I would much rather read a review with things that people think I could do better and things that people like than no review at all.**_

_**eclaregurl: Thanks! I love the protective Nicky too hehe I really hope that I can do his character justice in this fic because I think it's a really important part of his character, and it, in my opinion, brings a lot to the show :)**_

_**Hopefully this is a good chapter! Enjoy 3**_

_**Please, as always, R+R! They are so helpful to me, and I enjoy reading them. I always try to reply too :)**_

* * *

_**Chapter Five.**_  
The three of them drove along in silence. Molly was angry at her uncle for making her go back to her home, and Nick was confused about whether he was mad or confused or whatever other emotions were flitting through his body. Shannon had never been in this kind of situation before. Usually, after Molly spent the night with her after a run in with her mother, Molly would walk home herself. Shannon had never experienced the aftermath, and she didn't know what to expect.  
When they pulled up, Molly squeezed her eyes shut tight. She knew it was stupid, that not seeing the house wasn't going to make it go away or change what happened there, but she couldn't bring herself to open them again.  
"Molly, are you ok?" her uncle asked softly in his Texan accent. Molly opened her eyes, glared at him angrily and got out the car, mostly because she knew neither Nick nor Shannon expected her to. Molly always liked to defy expectations. As she slammed the door closed and leaned against the metal of the car, waiting for the other two to join her, she heard her uncle mutter "Typical stubborn Stokes." with a grin.  
When they reached the front door it was locked, and Molly realised that she had forgotten her keys. However, she knew that her mother kept a spare on top of the small porch, and Shannon reached up for it. When she unlocked it, they all stood looking inside before anyone stepped in. It was fairly dark, as all the curtains were still closed. It was cool inside- the fans had been left on- and a wave of icy air hit them.

Trying to seem braver than she actually felt, Molly took the first step inside, but she didn't get past the doorway. Nick and Shannon stepped around her, leaving her to her own thoughts as they opened curtains, letting sunlight flood the rooms. Nick went into the kitchen and turned his eyes away from the spattering of blood on the tiles there. Molly wandered into the living room, looking out the window and spotting her small rusting car. She didn't drive it much; mostly because she couldn't always afford the gas. Her mom took a big chunk of her wages, and didn't leave much for Molly. As her mother's drinking had increased, the amount of money Molly ended up with after payday dwindled.

"Molly, come here sweetheart." Molly was dragged from uncomfortable thoughts by her uncle's voice, and she followed the sound into the kitchen. She took a deep, subtle breath to hide her strong aversion to even being in the house, never mind in the same room that, only hours before, she was sure would hold her last breaths.

"I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to walk me through exactly what happened." He requested softly, trying hard to imagine that she was just another victim that needed his help to find justice and peace over the crimes that had been committed against them.

Who was he kidding? It was Molly. Molly would never be 'just another' anything to him.

Molly gave a small, almost bitter smile over what her uncle was suggesting "Always the CSI, huh?"

Molly didn't like the idea of reconstructing the previous night, but she fully believed that Nick wouldn't have asked her if it wasn't important, so she took a minute to think. She began to explain that she had been in bed, trying to sleep, because she had a headache. She described coming downstairs when her mother called her. However, before she got much further, the sound of a key turning in the lock distracted them all, and when they turned to face the door, it opened; revealing that Molly's mother had returned.

Marie Jones was a tiny woman, a little less than five foot three with a slim build. Her dirty blonde hair reached just over her shoulders, falling in straggles over her skin. Her eyes were dark; once they had been filled with honesty and innocence, a determined young woman with a loving relationship and a beautiful baby daughter, but the world had broken down with abandonment and disappointment. They saw the same eyes widen with shock, seeing her daughter standing and breathing, the opposite of what she had expected.

"Molly," she breathed, momentarily unaware of Nick and Shannon. Marie rushed over to Molly and attempted to reach out to touch her face.

"Don't touch her," Shannon growled, slapping the woman's hand away, dragging Marie back to the real world. She looked around and saw Nick, surprised at the man's presence.

"Girls, why don't you both go upstairs for a little while?" Nick suggested quietly in a falsely calm tone, his gaze never leaving Marie's.

"Uncle Nicky I-" Molly whispered, about to protest.

"Molly, go." Nick replied simply. Molly had never heard her uncle so stern with her, and she knew better than to defy what he was asking at that moment. He looked at his niece and attempted to give her an encouraging smile, but it didn't work so well and Molly could see that it hadn't. She allowed Shannon to tug her out of the room by the sleeve of her baggy sweater and they ascended the stairs in silence, entering Molly's room and closing the door.

"I knew it would only be a matter of time before she called you." Marie whispered, looking down at pink painted toenails poking out the end of her sandal.

"What the hell has been going on Marie?" Nick hissed lividly.

"I didn't mean to hurt her, and she was just flopping around." Marie explained, barely stopping for breath "Then she stopped moving and I thought she was-" she finished, unable to finish the sentence.

"You didn't mean to hurt her?" Nick exclaimed, raising his voice slightly in frustration. "You've been beating her for her years! You choked her so hard she was convulsing! And what kind of mother would think she had caused that much damage to her child and then run away without trying to get her any medical attention?"

"I have a problem Nick" The woman whimpered, her eyes welling with tears.

"No Marie, you don't." Nick retorted sharply. "Molly's the one with the problem! The problem is that she's repeatedly being beaten unconscious by her own mother!"

Nick tried to keep his voice down. He didn't want Molly to know that he was losing his cool. She had never seen him like that, and he hoped she never would. Marie didn't say anything, knowing that Nick was right.

"We can do this one of two ways Marie," Nick continued slowly, fearing that is he didn't think very carefully before each word, he would lose it and say something that would make everything worse for everyone involved "but either way; Molly isn't staying here anymore. So we can take this to child services, in front of a judge to let them make their decision- but if that happens, you'll probably end up in jail, and despite everything that you've done to her, I don't think Molly wants that. Or you can give me her birth certificate, social immunization, and a written letter giving up your parental rights and giving them to me."

"You can't just take my child Nick!" Marie exclaimed angrily.

"Can't I?" Nick roared back, feeling something snap in the back of his mind over how hard-headed and unreasonable his sister-in-law could be "Don't you see what you're doing to her?" Nick was almost pleading now, wondering how a woman could do this kind of thing to her own child.

"Molly's almost seventeen, not seven Nick," Marie retorted moodily "This isn't a choice you can make for her. I'm her mother; I know what's best for her."

"She thought you were going to kill her last night! Last time I checked, that isn't exactly good for a child! Now, I'm going to bring her down here so she can choose where she wants to go, and you're going to keep quiet until Molly makes her decision. Ok?"

Marie simply glared at him, so Nick repeated "_Ok?"_

The woman in front of him gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod, and Nick went to the bottom of the stairs, calling Molly's name. A minute later, Molly slowly made her way down the stairs, not used to the action being so painful from battered limbs and bruised skin, with Shannon in tow behind. She had heard most of her uncle's conversation with her mother, but not all and she didn't know what to expect when she entered the kitchen.

"Molly, sweetie," Nick said seriously "You have a choice now; stay here with your mom, or come and live in Vegas with me. It's totally up to you, and there's no pressure for either option."

Molly let her eyes flicker between each person. However, when she looked at her mother, she couldn't help but remember what it had felt like to think that she was about to die, the pain that screamed through her body, the almost constant fear and uncertainty that she lived in. All those thoughts made her decision for her.

"Vegas." She whispered, looking away just in time to miss the hurt and horrified expression in her mother's eyes.

Nick had the letter and birth certificate before nine o'clock that morning.


	7. Chapter 6: Take Her Away

_**A/N: Howdy! How's everyone doing?**_

_**Well, I know it's been wayyy too long since I updated this story and I'm sorry :/ I'm very pleased to tell you that I only have two more days at college before I break up for a super long summer, and so I should get chance to do a mega amount of writing in that time :D Also, I've made a start on the next chapter after this one, and since it's starting the chapters that I find difficult, it's definitely a good thing haha!**_

**_I know this may be getting a little boring at the moment because its a touch slow right now, but I promise it will pick up soon and be more exciting._ **_**I just want to get the storyline down properly first :) Please be patient!**_

_**As always, I would love to hear what everyone thinks. I'm perfectly happy for suggestions/ideas/criticism etc etc etc so just drop me a little review? It'd make me smile :D**_

_**love lots,**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

* * *

Chapter Six.  
Once the letter was written and signed, Marie stormed out of the house, and Molly felt like the entire planet had been lifted from her shoulders. She couldn't believe that her mother had given up her parental rights so submissively, and the idea that she was leaving for Vegas with her uncle was totally alien. Molly had long since lost count of the amount of times she had wished to escape, to get away so far that no one would ever find her again, and now it was happening.  
The three of them got straight to work. Molly, still hurting from her injuries, helped Nick and Shannon organise her possessions, separating it into things she could give away or sell, and things that she wanted to take with her. She assisted them the best she could, but her restricted mobility acted as a hindrance. She sorted through her clothes, tossing what she no longer wanted, and she almost laughed at the dramatically over excited response she got from Shannon when she told her friend to help herself to the things she didn't plan on taking with her to Vegas.  
At around eleven, Nick took the keys to Molly's car and drove it to a used car dealership he remembered passing, one that offered cash up front for unwanted vehicles as long as they are in working order. Nick knew that there would be nothing wrong with Molly's car, because the girl worked in a mechanics. When he returned a half hour later, giving Molly her six hundred dollars from the sale, her jaw dropped visibly.  
"Six hundred bucks?" she exclaimed delightedly "I only paid two. It was a piece of crap that I fixed up!"  
In a decidedly better mood, they worked for a few hours before pretty much everything was packed into boxes, ready for piling into Shannon's car.  
"My car would have come in handy right about now, huh?" Molly laughed as they struggled to carry boxes down the stairs. It took three trips to get everything back to Shannon's apartment, and on the return trip of the last one, a thought suddenly occurred to Molly.  
"I need to see Joe." She announced, seemingly out of the blue in a clear completely monotonous way.  
"Who's Joe?" Nick asked, curiously.  
"My boss at the mechanics," she explained, relaxing slightly after the abruptness of the thought had worn off slightly. She couldn't remember the last time her own thoughts had made her jumpy. "Can we make a real quick stop there?"  
Minutes later, the pulled up outside the tiny building that housed broken cars that needed fixing. The sign that proclaimed 'Joe's Mechanics' was half falling down, and the paint of the lettering was chipped from the elements over the many years it had been there.  
"I'll be right back," Molly murmured as she got out the car. Shannon and Nick watched as she hoppled into the building. They sat without speaking for a minute, before Shannon finally broke the silence.  
"Are you really going to take her away?" she asked, looking out the front wind shield with her elbow resting on the door.  
"Yeah, "Nick replied honestly "I wouldn't have said I was if I wasn't."  
"Then will you promise me something?" Shannon asked quietly, looking down at her sneaker-clad feet under the wheel.  
"Sure, what is it?" Nick answered, furrowing his brow slightly at the strange behest.  
"Don't let her come back." Shannon requested simply. "There's nothing here for her and there's no reason at all why she would need to come back. I'll miss her like crazy, but I'd miss her even more if she was dead, and I don't think it would take much longer for that to happen."  
"You think?" Nick asked, genuinely wanting to know the girl's opinions.  
"You saw what her mom did."Shannon answered, her voice raising a fraction of an octave. Thinking about all the times Molly had made her way, battered and bruised and crying, to Shannon's apartment over the years they had known each other made rage and frustration bubbled inside her. "Those are not the actions of a sane woman, and she's been getting worse and worse for a long time."  
"I promise." Nick finally confirmed, a sincere tone to his voice, looking the girl directly in the eyes to make sure she understood he was completely serious in his promise. "I won't let her."  
Just then, Molly emerged into the sunlight, smiling with a heavyset man that followed her out. She hugged the man and returned to the car, waving as they drove away.  
"Everything good?" Shannon asked, forcing casualness into her voice after the intensity of the conversation of her short conversation with the man next to her as they made a U-turn away from the building.  
"Yeah, Joe's a good guy; he understood when I told him I was leaving. He even paid me for this month, and next month." Molly told them, slowly gathering the good spirits that she thrived on, but didn't get to experience very often any more.  
Nick let out an impressed whistle at the generosity of Molly's now former employer. He was just glad that Molly had at least some people in her life in Chicago that were good to her.  
"You know Mol," Nick said inadvertently "since most of your stuff is sorted out now; I was thinking that we could probably catch a flight tomorrow."  
"Tomorrow?" Molly exclaimed, caught off-guard by the sudden suggestion.  
"Why not?" Nick shrugged nonchalantly, though the idea did appeal to him a lot, and he genuinely couldn't see any reason for the plan not to go ahead. It was still early in the day; if all three of them pitched in, Nick didn't think it would take long to get everything packed and ready. Especially as Nick suspected that there would not be many things that Molly would want to take with her, since every single item would hold memories and connotations that she would rather forget.  
"Alright." Molly replied after a moment's consideration, a small smile playing across her cheeks.

Even after they arrived back at Shannon's apartment, it took a while to pack all of Molly's things into suitcases. There were three boxes remaining, that Shannon had agreed to send to Molly once they arrived in Vegas. When he was sure that everything was sufficiently organised, Nick went outside to call Grissom.  
"Hello?" the older man greeted when the dialling tone finished ringing in his ear.  
"Hey Gris," Nick replied cheerfully.  
"Nicky, how's Chicago?"  
"A lot better now that I've sorted out what I needed to." Nick answered honestly.  
"Already? So you'll be back soon right?"  
"Actually," Nick continued "That's what I was calling about. I don't really feel good about using my card in any of the computers at the hotel, when people with enough know-how could get all kinds of information from it afterwards. Do you think you'd be able to book my tickets and I'll pay you back when I get there?"  
There were not many people Nick would have felt comfortable making this kind of request to, but Grissom was definitely one.  
"Sure Nick, no problem." Grissom answered without even having to think about it. "You just want the next flight back?"  
"Thanks Gris, I owe you one."  
"Don't worry about it. I'll do it now and email you."  
"Cool. And Grissom?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I need two tickets,"  
There was a minute of silence through the phone line, and Nick could almost imagine the cogs ticking and whirring at maximum speed in his Bosses head.  
"Two?" the other man finally asked, clearly coming up with no feasible explanation in his mind.  
"My niece, Molly." Nick offered as the only explanation. "It's a long story, but I'll tell you when we get back."  
They chatted for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes and hanging up. Nick went back up to apartment to find Shannon and Molly laughing and talking. He left the girls alone, knowing that they probably didn't have too much time left together, instead resorting to making sure all the suitcases were properly secured and sufficiently packed. Within just a few minutes, Nick's phone buzzed in his pocket, indicating an email from Grissom, containing online boarding passes for the two of them, set for six am the next morning. Seeing the early time of the flight, Nick glanced at his watch. It was almost eight in the evening. He couldn't work out where the entire day had gone and, as his stomach reminded him that he was hungry, he realised that he and Molly had only got about seven hours before they would need to be at the airport. Nick trailed back into the living room to explain to Molly their short time span. The expression on his niece's face told Nick that Molly was unsure whether she was happy to be getting away, or sad to be leaving her friend. Before he left, Nick left the girls some money to order take out and instructions to get some sleep. He kissed Molly's cheek and bade goodbye to Shannon before leaving, and as Shannon walked him to the door, he turned to her and muttered.  
"If Marie turns up here, call me, ok?" he requested sternly, leaving no room for doubt over what Shannon should do if the situation did occur.  
"I will." Shannon promised firmly, and Nick left for the hotel, knowing that they would have a long day ahead of them when they woke up.


	8. Chapter 7: Don't cry

_**A/N: Hellooo there :D**_

_**I know it's been a while and I'm sorry :s But I'm back now :)**_

_**I really promise it's going to pick up in the next chapter, and at least some of the rest of the team will be in the next chapter too :D I'm really going to try hard to get another chapter finished and up soon (within a week fingers crossed :D)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. I wish I did, but I don't. So that's it.**_

_**I think that's about it for now. I've loved all the reviews on this story! I'm so incredibly grateful for every single one of them, and all of the alerts and favourites too! Please, continue to let me know what you think. If there's something you don't think I'm doing very well, or something that could be different, drop me a review, or a PM if you'd rather, but please tell me.**__** I'm totally open to criticism, as long as it's constructive. So yeah, ideas/suggestions etc etc etc, let me know!**_

_**Lots of love and virtual cookies,**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

* * *

The next morning, Nick rose early: the sun was still trying to drag itself feebly, as if it too didn't want to get up. He quickly showered and packed his small bag before checking out of the hotel. The morning air was light and sweetly fragranced from flower beds in front yards he passed as he took a slow stroll to Shannon's apartment. He didn't rush; it was still earlier than he had told Molly he would be there, but he couldn't think of much else to do in the time he still had left.  
It didn't take him long to reach Shannon's apartment, and in his decidedly higher spirits, Nick didn't even take any notice of the seemingly increasingly rancid smell in the building. He couldn't imagine anything ruining his mood- Molly had decided to go to Vegas with him, where he was damned sure he was going to make sure no one was going to hurt her again. When Molly's father- Nick's older brother- had joined the military, Nick had promised him he would look after Molly for him, and Nick felt that he had failed. But he knew that he wasn't going to do that again.  
The thoughts bought a bitter taste to his tongue, so Nick pushed them away and knocked softly on the door. He hadn't expected anyone to answer, and he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do to kill some time, but he was surprised when the door creaked open and Shannon beaconed him inside with offers of fresh coffee: an idea that Nick found just too tempting to decline. He padded softly down the hallway, unsure where Molly might be sleeping, and he didn't want to disturb her.

However, he was surprised when he walked into the living room to see her sitting on the couch. She smiled wearily at him when he entered, and Nick could tell that she hadn't had much sleep.

"Morning Uncle Nicky," She greeted, sounding more energetic than she looked. Molly couldn't deny that she was excited to be leaving, but the thought had kept her up for a lot longer than she should have been awake, knowing how early she had to get up again. She had tried to sleep, but every time she became close to slumber, she would feel either intensely excited about leaving, or completely depressed about leaving her best friend. Molly knew that she owed so much to Shannon, and she couldn't believe that she only had a matter of hours to share with the other girl, and she didn't know when the next time they would see each other would be.

Still groggy from her forced early rise, Shannon pushed a steaming cup of coffee into Nick's grateful hands and plopped herself back onto the couch next to Molly, and Nick could see what they had been doing. He suddenly noticed the various bottles of containers of creams, powders and colours that Shannon had been using to help cover the bruises that littered Molly's face. Molly had become self-conscious of them, and the looks she knew she would get walking through an airport with them. No matter what she knew was true, Molly was painfully aware of the fact that people may think that Nick had given them to her, and she couldn't stand the thought of that.

Molly held her face high again so that Shannon could continue rubbing concealer over the bruises near her eyes, though she knew that no amount would cover them completely. Nick leaned in closer to inspect the progress, and he nodded, sincerely impressed.

"It looks good." He murmured, standing back up. "You almost ready?"

"Yeah, Shannon said she'll drive us to the airport, so I only need to take the suitcases down to the car." Molly replied cheerfully.

"I'll do it." Nick offered enthusiastically, feeling awkward while he was standing around, not doing much.

"The keys are on the coffee table." Shannon told him, a make-up brush clenched between her teeth. "It's the last one on the right."

Nick took a few scalding gulps of his coffee and grabbed the keys, and as he walked past the bedroom, he took the two large suitcases. He took them down the elevator, and struggled out the front door of the building. Nick located the car quickly, and within a few minutes, he was letting himself back into the apartment. By the time he went back into the living room to finish his coffee, Shannon was packing away the make-up, and Molly was slipping her feet into her sneakers.

"Ready to go?" Shannon asked, and both Nick and Molly nodded. She snatched her bag from the couch and stood in the middle of the room, taking in a deep breath.

"I'm going to miss this place." She sighed before heading out the front door with Nick and Shannon.

They made the short drive to the airport in a casual, early morning silence. When they arrived, Molly and Nick went around to the trunk for the cases, but when Molly reached inside to grab one, Shannon slapped her hand away and took it herself. Molly knew better than to argue with the other girl, and she was too tired to do it anyway. The two girls walked hand-in-hand over the parking lot and into the building, each of them beginning to get a little teary-eyed over the idea that they would soon be separated. Nick tried to stay a little ahead or behind them, to give them some more time alone, but the queues were short in the airport; they got rid of the cases quickly, and it wasn't long until Shannon could follow them no further.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Molly murmured, her voice slightly higher than usual as she tried, and failed, to hide the tears that had started to stream down her face.

"Don't cry," Shannon told her, though she had begun herself "You'll ruin the make-up." Molly and Shannon hugged, embracing each other as tightly as Molly's bruised ribs would allow, but Shannon quickly pulls away.

"Get out of here," she whispered "before I can't let you."

Shannon took one of Molly's hands and pressed something into it. Molly peered down curiously and gave a small gasp, though Nick couldn't see what it was.

"Shan, I can't take this." Molly told her, holding out what Nick could now see was a wad of cash.

"You can and will." Shannon replied, sounding stronger now as she tried to keep herself together, pushing the money back into her friend's hand. "Call me when you land. I love you Molly Jayne Stokes; never forget that."

Before Molly could reply, Shannon turned and left. Molly dabbed at her eyes fruitlessly to get rid of the mistiness there. She turned to Nick and smiled meekly. Nick wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze before they went to wait to be called for their flight.

"Do I have to take my piercings out?" Molly asked an hour and a half later when they were waiting to go through to board the plane.

"I don't think so." Nick told her casually, looking down at her with a confused look on his face.

"Good." She replied wearily "Because I don't think I could."

Nick noticed how swollen the skin was around her three piercings in her face, and he felt a pang of both guilt and sadness. Knowing how she got her injuries in the first place made his stomach churn with anger, and he forced himself to let it go quickly, because if he got on the plane carrying his feelings, he wouldn't be able to get rid of them for a while. Instead, he focused on how good it was going to feel to sink into his couch and slip a movie into the DVD player when he arrived home.

They followed the swarm of people getting on the same plane and found their seats, settling in and preparing themselves for the four-hour flight back to Vegas.

Molly quickly fell asleep, but Nick was left to listen to his thoughts. He had a spare room, and he was sure that it was big enough. Even if it wasn't, Nick knew that Molly would never say anything about it anyway, but he had no idea what a sixteen year old girl needed. He suddenly realised that he hadn't put much thought into the idea of Molly staying with him, though he still knew it was the best thing for him to do.

Molly shifted and stirred in her sleep, but she didn't wake up. Nick looked across at her and watched her for a minute. She looked just like her father, but she had small aspects of her mother too. The make-up had done a lot to cover up the marks and bruises, but to Nick, it almost seemed like there was nothing covering them at all. He could still see them, ugly and purple and constant reminders of the unexplainable violence that had occurred. She snored lightly and turned, resting her head on Nick's shoulder as she slept.

"I love you uncle Nicky." She mumbled sleepily, and Nick gave a small smile.

"I love you too Kiddo." He replied in a whisper, knowing that she had fallen back to sleep before she heard him. Comforted all of a sudden, Nick let his own eyes close, falling asleep and waiting to return home.


End file.
